Alton’s history of film

As excitement grew throughout the Riverbend regarding plans for a new theater finally coming to fruition, many longtime residents shared memories on social media of other movie destinations in the city of Alton from decades past. From vaudeville to dirty cartoons, here is a brief history of the most popular places where area residents saw their favorites on the big screen.

Hippodrome Theatre

Built on the site of a previous theater, the Lyric, the Hippodrome opened in 1912 and lasted until 1931.

Located at 101 West Broadway, the facility was created for live entertainment, including vaudeville and symphony performances.

As motion pictures slowly phased out live acts and made vaudeville an antiquated art, business suffered, and the playhouse made way for a newer entertainment destination just a few blocks away.

The Grand Theatre

For a setting that was a bit upscale but also in keeping with the times, area residents had the option of the Grand Theatre, located near downtown at 230 Market St.

The art deco movie house opened on Dec. 4, 1920, the largest theater at the time for the city, with a 1,400-seat capacity and plenty of stage room for live music performances and vaudeville acts, in addition to the big screen.

At a cost of $150,000, it was an exciting and innovative move for the city, and enjoyed years of profitable success before declining in the 1960s and 1970s.

After showing its final film in 1977 (rumored to be the adult cartoon “Fritz the Cat”), the empty building, used for several years as a haunted house in the 1990s, fell into decay. After failed attempts to designate the property a historical landmark, it was in danger of being demolished before Alton-based attorney John Simmons purchased the property in 2018.

AltonWorks, a company formed by Simmons and dedicated to the renovation and revitalization of the downtown area, plans to repair and reopen the theater for business by the end of this year.

The Starlight

Alton also had a drive-in theater, the Starlight, from 1950 until 1984, originally owned by Joe Goldfarb, Harry Beck and Charley Goldman, operating as Alton Starlight Corp.

Located at 3500 College Ave., the BAC Theatres destination had a 400-car capacity and was known throughout the area for its slightly curved, mammoth screen. By 1975, demand necessitated a second screen and more than double the parking space to be added.

The lot was also a destination every Fourth of July holiday, as crowds gathered for a good view of both the Alton and St. Louis fireworks, and the playground and free train rides are still fond memories for many who grew up during the era.

The drive-in closed in October 1984 and was demolished to make room for commercial property.

Alton Cine

The last of the city’s theaters to close lasted until March 28, 1998.

That theater at 2627 Homer Adams Parkway opened in April 1976 and closed in 1998. After sitting mostly vacant for two decades, the building was razed on March 7, 2019.

A two-screen option, each side housed 300 cinemagoers. Sitting on more than four-and-a-half acres, it became the go-to movie house for many who grew up during the height of the slasher and fast-paced adventure film era of the 1980s.

As ticket sales fell, Wehrenberg Theatres Inc. announced in 1997 its plans to close the theater for good.

While the final film actually shown on the big screen there cannot be verified, the last movie advertised on the marquee was “Titanic.”

“That is an interesting movie to be the last one shown here,” Mayor Brant Walker said. “Now, rising from the deep, we will have a new beginning.”